Engine-starting arrangement.



I. W. .IEPSON.

ENGINE STARTING ARRANGEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25. "I3.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

S GQd.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

was w meson or Perm now some eem a e seve c mm come. A oos -oeema r new e en EM NMMWIW n mer c i ee'eemlatented Sept. 18, 1917,

Application and iehruary 25, on. semi-mason.

Todlcvlwmiit mag comm.-

Be at known that, 1 Joan W- deem, i CXt IZBJl of the United flutes, and a re ident .of Depew, countymf Eri and Stateof New Yank, haste invented certain new and metal Improvements in Engine stwitmg A rang ments, of which the fellowingis a sp ification. 7

My invention relates to ,i-mpronegnents in engine starting arrangements, .and ,one Ohjectof the innentionais-to provide an electrical arrangement for starting internal .combustion engines and the 'like -;by .means o on electric motor of minimum size, yet which will produce the necessary torque at starting, andistill be capable ,of op rating at sufiicient speed to eflieotively :start the engine in all cases.

'Eurther objects, teatures and advantag s will more/clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying sheet ,of drawings which storms a poet oi this specificati n.

In the dra ings,

Figure 1 is a diag am illust e mg my 111 vention in its best form;

1" 3g. 2vis a diagra illestrating a m difica ti n; and

Fig: 3 ,is =11 diagram showing the relationship of speed and horsepower in a series motor.

Referring ,to Fig. 1, 1 represents a fourcylinder gasolene engine keying a-(fly wh el 2 connected to its elicit. The fly wheel 2 is provided with gear teeth 3. & inepresents the armature of a direct cunrentelectrio motor p ovid d with brushes 5 engaging its comutator 'll e elicit ,7 of t e motor has ,slidahlymounted sthelseon, lint secured {to notate therewith, ,a gear :8, The gear 8 carries a collar Qengaged by a forked lever d0 PIV- oted at 11. A piarotally mounted operating handle 32 is connected t0 the lever -10 by a link A3, so tha upon th owing the handle 12 {the gear 8 may be thrown in or out of mesh with the gear 3. The motor is provided wj th a eeriesexcitin field winding 14, and with a shlint field -win "rig-1o. The mo- ;tor is supplied with direct .carr-ent from any suitable s urce, a -a storage hatter-y through mains ,6 A swato'hlB hp in e ilwer d-Q-is adapted to alose the motor arcuie hro g .13 th thi ni g :of the handl do cause 4 .e .geer 8 to mesh with the gear '3. 19 represents a resistance adaaptedto she cut in and out of circuit in series the shunt field 15 by means .of a witch 20. Ilhe switch 20 is arranged to be opened (by gravity and .closed ;by an electromagnet 2l,ithe operating coil of which is in seriesin the main 171m the motorsideof the switch 118.

ilncperation, whenit is desired to stalltithe engine lirthe hand ilever 12 is thrown to place the gear 8 in .mesh with the gear 3, and thus mechanically connect the motor 50 that it may drive the fly wheel and start theengine, T'lnsaction also closes the switch 8,'tl1ereliy causing the motor lto she energized. Immediately a heavy current .passes through the motor, eausing'the same .to produce sufficient torque to start the engine. This current passing through the eleotromagnet 21 causes the switch 20 to he raised thereby, whereby the resistance '19 is shunted and the shunt field 15 is energized to its full extent to aid the series field 14.

As the motor speeds up, sulbject to the well known laws governing the operation of series and compound motors, rthe current in the armature and series field falls off until a point is neached where a further increase in speed means a decrease in horsepower, as illustrated inFig. =8. It will be understood by ethose familiar with the characteristics of such motors, that if [the field of the motor -be now weakened, it will be capablenf running-stun increased speed without any material decrease in horsepower. Accordingly, when the motor has reached this-critical predetermined condition as eviternal combustion engines employing an electric motor great trouble has been expenienced in that iii the meter was designed to run at the high speed necessary -for the ti ud s e the my es to normally produce the necessaryfield strength for starting, and then when the maximum full load speed is reached the field of the motor is automatically weakened to permit of an abnormal increase in speed of the motor when it has reached the pre determined electrical condition desired.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 2'is the same as that shown in Fig. 1 except that the resistance 19 and shunt field 15 are omitted and the switch 20 is made to cause the weakening of the field of the motor at the proper time by shunting out a portion of the windings of the series field. Obviously, many other ways will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art for auto matically increasing the speed of the motor at the desired point, and although I have described my improvements in great detail and with respect to certain embodiments thereof, nevertheless, I do not desire to be limited to such details except as clearly pointed out in the appended claims since many changes and modifications may well be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention in its broader aspects.

Having fully and clearly described my invention. what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an arrangement of the character described. the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly wheel, an electric motor adapted to be thrown into mechanical connection with the engine to start the engine and drive the fly wheel, said motor being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding. and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor when the armature current of the motor has decreased to a predetermined value.

2. In an arrangement of the character described. the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly wheel, an electric motor adapted to be thrown into mechanical connection with the engine to start the engine and drive the fly wheel, said motor being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding. and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof when the load on the motor has decreased to a predetermined value.

3. In an arrangement of the character described. the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly wheel, an

electric motor mechanically connected with the engine and provided with field producing means including series and shunt exciting field'windings and means"for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof with the motor still energized by the series field winding and responsive 'to a decrease in load on the motor.

4x111 i'an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a motorfor startmg saidengine having field producing means including a series exciting field winding and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof after the motor has reached a predetermined condition with the motor still energized by the series field winding and responsive to a decrease in load on the motorr 5. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion ,engine, 'adynamo electric machine mechanically connected to the engine to start the same, said dynamo electric machine being provided with fieldproducing means including 1 a series exciting field windin and means for automatically weakening the field of the machine to permit of abnormal increase in speed thereof after the machinehas reached a predetermined condition.

6. In an 'arrangement of the'character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a dynamo electric machine mechanically connected to theengine to start the same, said dynamo electric machine being provided with field producing means including a series excitin field winding and a shunt field winding an means for automatically weakening the field of the machine to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof as the load on the machine decreases.

7. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a dynamo electric machine mechanically connected to the engine to start the same, and means for automatically permitting an abnormal increase in speed of the-machine responsive to a decrease in load on the machine.

8. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of'an internal combustion enginehaving a fly wheel, an electric motor adapted to bethrown into mechanical connection with the engine to startthe engine and drive the flywheel, said motor being: rovided with field producing means inc udin a series excitin field winding and a s unt exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakemng the field of the motor when the creased to a predetermined value, said means embracing means for decreasing the current in the shunt winding.

9. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor mechanically connected to the engine to start the same, and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof as the engine assumes to drive itself.

10. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly wheel, an electric motor adapted to be thrown into mechanical connection with the engine to start the engine and drive the fly wheel, said motor being rovided with field producing means inc uding a series exciting field winding, and a shunt exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor when the armature current of the motor has de creased to a predetermined value, said means embracing means for decreasing the current in said shunt winding when the current in the series winding decreases to a predetermined value.

11. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a dynamo electric machine mechanically connected to the engine to start the same, said dynamo electric machine being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding, and means {for automatically weakening the field of the machine to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof, responsive to a decrease in current through the motor.

12. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion 'engine, a dynamo electric machine mechanically connected to the engine to start the same, said dynamo electric machine being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakening the field of the machine to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof, responsive to a decrease in current through the motor. with the motor still energized by the series field winding.

13. In an arrangement of the character described. the combination of an internal combustion engine, a dynamo electric machine mechanically connected to the engine to start the same, said dynamo electric machine being pi'ovided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakening the field of the machine to permit of an abnormal increase inspeed thereof after the machine has reached a predetermined condition, with the motor still energized by the series field winding.

14. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fiy wheel, a motor to start said engine, said motor being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof as the load on the motor decreases.

15. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly wheel, a motor for starting said engine, said motor being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in the speed thereof. with the mo' tor still energized by the series field winding. said means acting responsive to a de crease in current through the motor.

16. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly wheel, a motor for starting said engine, said motor being provided with field producing means including a series exciting field winding, and a shunt exciting field winding, and means for automatically weakening the field of the motor to permit of an abnormal increase in speed thereof, said means acting responsive to a decrease in current through the motor.

17. In an arrangement of the character described, the combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, means for connecting the motor to the engine to start the latter, and means for automaticallv weakening the motor field as the load on the motor decreases to increase the speed thereof.

18. In an arrangement of the character described. the combination of an internal combustion engine. a starting motor therefor. and means for automatically weakening the motor field as the load on the motor decreases to increase the speed thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN W. JEPSON.

W'itnesses:

C. F. FITZGERALD, P. W. ENGLISH.

Copies oi thin patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Wauhinzton, D. C." 

